Wednesday, 10 April 2013

Dauphin's Guards' Room

Like the King, the Dauphin had guards constantly placed near his private apartments in case of a sudden threat to his person. Guards would have been placed here at all hours to control who entered and exited the castle. There has been no special attention to the wood-work of the walls (just like the King's Guards' Room). The room has been placed on a lower level than the immediate courtyard which made it necessary to install a small staircase. The wooden floor has been laid in a fish-bone pattern. Previously this was the chamber of the master of the King's wardrobe.

The most famous painting in this room is that of Marie Antoinette painted by her favourite painter Madame Vigée Le Brun in 1788 - just a year before the storm of Versailles. A marble fireplace has been placed next to the door and two small tapestries flank the chimney. The lantern is very different from the standard chandelier normally used at Versailles and illuminates the room through iron-cast glass. Above the fireplace a painting of the Dauphin Louis (son of Louis XV) hangs.